The Cadillac three is a southern rock band from Nashville that’s been active since 2011. All of the members of The Cadillac Three were previously in another southern rock outfit called American Bang, and one of the band members co-wrote songs with Keith Urban, Jake Owen, and Tim McGraw around the time of the inception of The Cadillac Three. This band was recommended to me a couple of weeks ago by someone on Twitter who also recommended Sweet Vine to me, which is one of my favorite albums/bands I’ve listened to so far in 2021. This particular album, The Cadillac Three (2012), is the debut album of The Cadillac Three. The album is also known as The Cadillac Black, which was the band’s original name before changing it. I’m pretty stoked to give this album a listen, so with that said, I’m going to jump on into the music.
“I’m Southern” starts out with some really groovy, big fuzzed-guitar and some big drums that harken back to the hard blues rock styles of the early 1970s, but with a southern inflection. Oh wow, there’s a bit of acoustic slide guitar that really adds even more southern flavor to the soundscape. Holy smokes, that acoustic slide guitar picks up some distortion that I’m really digging. Oh wow, the track keeps on grooving with big, distorted blues rock flavors with a southern inflection, and I’m absolutely digging it. Great track, and I’m excited to hear more.
“Tennessee Mojo” starts out with distorted guitar with a bit of twang that seems to walk the line between hard blues and southern rock. I’m reminded a fair deal of Chris Duarte with the different bluesy southern guitar flavors, though the playing style itself is a bit different. I’m really digging the big, spacious drums in this track so far, which remind me of some heavier psychedelic rock and stoner rock bands I’ve listened to lately like Magick Mountain. Oh wow, I’m really digging the guitar work in this track. The distorted electric slide guitar on the one side complements the lead guitar really nicely. Great track.
Oh wow, “Get Your Buzz On” brings in a bit of modern country rock sensibilities alongside the hard blues rock sound that the band has been using throughout the album thus far. I’m really reminded quite a bit of the Texas blues style of Chris Duarte in both the flavor palette and the energy of this track. Holy smokes, I’m really digging the darkness of what sounds to be the bass guitar, which gradually moves this from a country rock space to a hard rock soundscape. Holy smokes, the chorus jumps right back in after the darker, hard rock movement to end the song. Great track.
Holy smokes, “Back It On” starts out sounding like the band recorded this live with a bit of chatter from an audience while the band gradually gets into a groove. Holy smokes, I really dig the acoustic slide instrumentation at the beginning of the track, which sort of reminds me of “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked” by Cage the Elephant. Holy smokes, the track gets grooving into a section that combines modern country flavors with southern blues rock flavors with a really pleasing, melodic, modern rock groove. Great track.
Holy smokes, “Down to the River” starts out with some really sweet delta blues-sounding acoustic guitar and a big backbeat, while the vocals sing some twangy, southern blues. Some other instruments come in and out of the soundscape, sounding like the band is building up to something. Holy smokes, the bluesy groove breaks through to some electrification of the instruments, creating a really sweet southern rock groove. Oh wow, the groove resolves back to something that mixes the acoustic intro with the electrified chorus, creating a track that keeps the track flowing with a lot of forward feeling movement. Wow, great track.
“Days of Gold” starts out with some upbeat claps alongside a quick backbeat and some really sweet acoustic slide guitar that nearly sounds like it’s in an open tuning. Oh wow, this track broke through to a really upbeat modern country rock groove with an infectious feel. There’s also some of the southern blues flavors evident, especially as the track launches into a high-energy jam. Holy smokes, it almost sounds like there’s some accentuations from a piano for a moment, though I’m guessing it’s actually some really high notes on an acoustic guitar. Holy smokes, this jam keeps growing and developing into a super groovy southern rock jam. The track jumps back into the chorus once more to end the song. Wow, super sweet tune.
“Turn It On” starts out with a strong beat and some really groovy guitar work from multiple electric guitars, which come together for some more of that southern blues rock and country rock sound that I’m really digging. Holy smokes, these jams really keep driving up the energy in the track higher and higher, especially as the southern, bluesy, and country flavors all seem to play off of each other quite nicely. Wow, great track.
“I’m Rockin'” starts out with a guitar lick that reminds me a bit of Chuck Berry, and gradually picks up more and more southern flavors. Oh wow, this track really reminds me of the high energy Texas blues rock style of Chris Duarte Group. Oh wow, there’s a guitar solo as the rest of the instruments drop away for a moment, and then the other instruments come back in and play off of the lead guitar really nicely. Wow, great rockin’ track.
“Life” starts out with a great beat from the drums and what sounds to be a tambourine. Oh wow, some distorted acoustic guitar comes into the soundscape and the track drops into a really sweet southern blues rock groove. Oh wow, another distorted guitar comes into the soundscape and infuses even more energy into the jams in the track as the music continues to develop. Super sweet track.
Oh wow, “The Sticks” starts out with a big beat combined with some distorted acoustic guitar and big distorted electric/bass guitar that create a soundscape that paints a backwoods area in the south that’s rife with energy. Holy smokes, the track gets into a big breakdown with spacious drums and strong distorted chords that have a super groovy southern hard blues rock sound. Great track.
“Whiskey Soaked Redemption” starts out with some fairly light acoustic guitar strumming. Holy smokes, it sounds like there’s some organs swirling around in the background as the track gets into a super sweet southern rock groove. I really dig this track, there’s almost a lightheartedness in the instrumentation in this track as the band seems to be tying together the album. Oh wow, the soundscape in this track sounds massive. Holy smokes, the guitar solo near the end of the track has a ton of feel to it, which leads right into the sweet ending of the song with just the acoustic guitar and vocals. Great track, and a great way to tie together the album.
Wow, I’m glad I checked out The Cadillac Three tonight. The band seemed to constantly fuse southern rock with blues rock on each track, and frequently used elements of modern country rock throughout the album as well. The final track even had a bit of a folksy feel that made me think of Tom Rush combined with a southern rock band. I also frequently was reminded of Chris Duarte as well, as the flavor of Texas blues rock that Chris Duarte is known for was somewhat similar to The Cadillac Three’s combining of southern rock, blues rock, and country rock. If you’re into southern rock and blues rock at all, then you might want to consider checking out this album. If you do decide to give this album a listen, I sincerely do hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A